Kabura Concept: Sports Coupe with innovative 3+1 layout

While Kabura’s profile is reminiscent of classic coupes, the windshield and forward portion of the roof are integrated into one seamless glass surface that extends from the cowl to the B-pillar. Admitting extra light enhances the interior’s feeling of airy space. Overhead portions of the glass have adjustable tinting so that the driver can twist a knob on bright days to change the roof’s opacity, as desired, from clear to completely opaque.

Behind its B-pillar, Kabura has a two-piece glass hatch. The uppermost glass panel normally lies flush. When pivoted-up by an electric motor, the way ailerons rise out of an airplane wing, this panel serves three purposes: it acts as a roof spoiler, it vents air from the interior and it greatly augments the rear passengers’ headroom. In addition, a photovoltaic solar cell in the panel helps to control ambient temperature as well as recharge the battery. The larger glass hatch panel has side-mounted hinges to provide ready access to Kabura’s spacious cargo compartment.

“While examining the habits and tastes of our youthful customers, we found that the majority have a need to carry one or at most two passengers in comfort, while a very small percentage actually use the fourth seat on limited occasions,” von Holzhausen continues, noting the level of research and planning that goes into the creation of a major automaker’s concept vehicle. “Clearly, the standard 2+2 compact coupe configuration with restricted rear access and limited seating space doesn’t work in this context, so we created a 3+1 layout for Kabura that resolves those shortcomings”.

A standard left-side door provides access to the driver’s cockpit and the rear jump seat. The right side is a wholly different and purposely asymmetrical arrangement. Removing the glovebox and minimizing the instrument panel allowed designers to shift the front passenger six-inches ahead of the driver’s seating position. In turn, the second passenger, sitting in tandem behind the right-front passenger, enjoys approximately the same leg, shoulder, and headroom.

Developed on the RX-Evolv and RX-01 showcars, Mazda designers invented the rear-hinged freestyle doors to improve the RX-8’s rear-seat access. Kabura proves that inspiration can strike twice in pursuit of spirited, stylish design that provides customers more than they ever dreamed possible.

To maintain a sleek roofline while offering rear access that’s vastly superior to what’s available in today’s compact coupes, von Holzhausen’s team designed Kabura with an extra right-side door. After the front door is opened, touching a button slides the bonus door straight back and out of the way.

Instead of swinging on hinges as in the innovative Mazda RX-8, this additional door glides neatly into a cavity notched into the rear-quarter panel area the way a pocket door disappears into a house wall. “Kabura may be the first compact coupe where no passenger has to call ‘shotgun!’ to avoid the second-class citizen treatment,” von Holzhausen pointed out.

Building on Kabura’s innovative styling and interior packaging, von Holzhausen’s team decided that introducing a level of sustainability and recyclability was a critical part of the concept. By partnering with Sustainable Solutions, Inc (SSI), a leader in reengineering post-industrial waste materials into quality consumer products, Mazda shows it has an eye toward the future in everything it does.

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